More history on Queen Palmer
I always enjoy Mel McFarland's Cobweb Corners columns in the Westside Pioneer. In his latest article about Mary Lincoln (Queen) Palmer there was slight error on her death date (it was December, not February, of 1894).
Also here is some additional info:
Queen was nicknamed that by her grandmother Clark, shortly after she was born in Kentucky. Queen lost her mother Belle before she was 5 years old, but her mother's youngest sister Ellen, who lived with them, took over the care of the four children in the Mellen family and eventually married Queen's father.
Queen always considered Ellen her mother.
Queen died in Frant, England, right after Christmas 1894 at age 44. She probably had 10 extra years of life in that climate and altitude. She was determined to see her daughters grow up, though her last months were terribly difficult for her.
An odd coincidence is that her grandmother Clark always feared the holidays, as some of her grandchildren had died during that time. Queen was her favorite grandchild and she had looked forward to her 1873 trip to Glen Eyrie to see her and her great grandchild Elsie. Grandmother Clark died at Glen Eyrie and
was buried on the hillside behind the house. Much later, Queen died at Christmas far from Glen Eyrie, never seeing it as it looks today.

Delores Gustafson

Editorís note: Gustafson is a local historian whose research has included the life of Queen Palmer.